Its been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad string of days for tech workers.
First, Elon Musk laid off thousands of Twitter employees, reportedly as many as 3,700 or almost half of the workforce, last Friday after taking over the social media app one week before. Now, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta announced that around 11,000 employees, roughly 13% of staff, were being let go.
Just like letting someone know that their childhood dog is dying, theres no easy way to tell someone theyre being fired. But there is a clear difference between the way both billionaires delivered the blow.
Twitter workers learned their fate via an (unsigned) email sent after the work day. Others found out their jobs were being eliminated after they couldnt log onto their company email or messaging system. A three-month severance package was offered to those fired, Musk later clarified. It happened globally, too, as the Twitter team in India went from 200 to 12, per Bloomberg, and most of the staff in Ghana were fired with pay only through next month.
Signed only by Twitter, the email did not mince words: As shared earlier today, Twitter is conducting a workforce reduction to help improve the health of the company. These decisions are never easy and it is with regret that we write to inform you that your role at Twitter has been impacted. There was confusion about who was impacted and incoming details, and layoffs were sudden enough that their legality is being questioned.
Today, on November 9th, it was Zuckerbergs turn to deliver the bad news, and he took a bit of a different approach with his former Metamates. A letter signed by Zuckerberg and shared publicly on Metas website struck a more personal tone than Twitters email.
I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone, and Im especially sorry to those impacted, Zuckerberg said. Taking the fall in a matter uncharacteristic of Meta executives, Zuckerberg added that he had inaccurately predicted that the boom in e-commerce during the start of the pandemic would continue. The letter clearly outlined a 16-week severance package, immigration support, and career services, plus offered the opportunity to speak with someone to get their questions answered and join information sessions.
Takes Elon Musk to make Mark Zuckerberg a hero
As Zuckerbergs message points out, there isnt a good layoff, but there is a markedly different way that both CEOs announced their choices. And some human resource managers have come out against Musks unsubtle approach.
Putting aside the potential legal issues, a lot of poor HR behavior gets chalked up to when you do XYZ at scale, you have to cut corners. I just dont buy it. There is always a more compassionate, more moral alternative, Katie Calabrese, human resources manager at Security Risk Advisors, tweeted, When leaders are this craven, its because theyre prioritizing their own comfort above others or theyre opting not to put in hard, time-consuming work, or both. Its weak, its pathetic, and its cruel.
That being said, Zuckerberg also isnt winning the prize for all time best communicator, as Will Oremus of the Washington Post tweeted that Zuckerberg didnt take any questions in his Zoom call addressing sacked employees.
Still, after seeing the bloodbath earlier at Twitter, some are recognizing Meta and Zuckerberg for how their layoffs were handled.
I know its fashionable to hate on Meta at any give chance but respect is due to how they are handling the layoffs, tweeted photographer Daniel Cuthbert.
CEO billionaires arent always famed for their empathy or grounded nature, but when announcing layoffs its important that they tap into their human side. As professor at UCLA Dr. Sarah T. Roberts tweets. Takes Elon Musk to make Mark Zuckerberg a hero.
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